Massive data centers aren’t welcome in Virginia Beach, council signals
Virginia Beach officials, led by Mayor Bobby Dyer, have unanimously signaled their intent to ban larger data centers, including hyperscalers, from the city. They plan to amend zoning rules, requiring conditional use permits for smaller data center businesses while protecting the city's subsea cable landing hub status. The City Council has asked the Planning Commission to recommend specific zoning changes.
Virginia Beach city officials, spearheaded by Mayor Bobby Dyer, have expressed a unanimous desire to prohibit the construction of larger data centers, including hyperscalers, within the city. This decision aims to balance the city's role as a critical subsea cable landing point with concerns about the impact of massive data center campuses.
During a recent meeting, the City Council differentiated between large, controversial data centers and smaller, existing facilities such as subsea cable landing sites and colocation centers. The council intends to amend current zoning ordinances, which currently permit data centers in industrial areas, to require conditional use permits for smaller operations like Telxius and Globalinx at Corporate Landing Business Park.
Mayor Dyer stated, "We're saying not only no to data centers, we're saying hell no to the data centers," referring to the larger categories. The council has directed the Planning Commission to draft and recommend specific zoning changes to reflect these new prohibitions and conditional use requirements, prioritizing the protection of the city's existing subsea cable infrastructure.